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CH 41
CH 41
CHAPTER 41
Word Order
41a How do I understand standard
and inverted word order in sentences?
Standard word order is the most common sentence pattern in English. The
SUBJECT comes before the VERB.
SUBJECT VERB
That book was heavy.
With inverted word order, the MAIN VERB or an AUXILIARY VERB comes
before the subject. The most common use of inverted word order in English
is in forming DIRECT QUESTIONS.
MODAL AUXILIARY
VERB SUBJECT MAIN VERB
QUESTION AUXILIARY
WORD VERB SUBJECT MAIN VERB
QUESTION MODAL
WORD AUXILIARY SUBJECT MAIN VERB
A L E R T: When a question has more than one auxiliary verb, put the
subject after the first auxiliary verb.
The same rules apply to emphatic exclamations: Was that book heavy!
Did she enjoy that book!
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Negatives
When you use negatives such as never, hardly ever, seldom, rarely, not only,
or nor to start a CLAUSE, use inverted order. These sentence pairs show the
differences, first in standard order and then in inverted order.
I have never seen a more exciting movie. [standard order]
Never have I seen a more exciting movie. [inverted order]
She is not only a talented artist but also an excellent musician.
Not only is she a talented artist, but she is also an excellent musician.
(2) Word order deliberately inverted can be effective, when used sparingly,
to create emphasis in a sentence that is neither a question nor an exclama-
tion (also see 18j).
B OX 4 1 - 1 S U M M A RY
B OX 4 1 - 2 S U M M A RY
EXERCISE 41-1 Consulting all sections of this chapter, find and correct any
errors in word order.
1. For two hundred years almost, the North Pacific humpback whales have
returned to the tropic waters of Hawaii.
2. Why they are returning to these particular waters year after year?
3. The humpbacks do not accidentally arrive in Hawaiian waters; they are
precise extremely in searching for this specific location, where they gather
to complete their breeding rituals.
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EXERCISE 41-2 Consulting all sections of this chapter, find and correct
any errors in word order.
1. A beautiful few flowers began to bloom in my garden this week.
2. A neighbor asked me, “You did grow all these yourself?”
3. “Yes,” I replied, “the roses are my favorite husband’s, but the tulips are my
favorite.”
4. My neighbor, who extremely was impressed with my gardening efforts,
decided to grow some flowers of her own.
5. Weeks later, as I strolled by her house, I saw her planting happily seeds
from her favorite type of plant—petunias.
CHAPTER 42
Prepositions
Prepositions function with other words in PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES (7n).
Prepositional phrases usually indicate where (direction or location), how (by
what means or in what way), or when (at what time or how long) about the
words they modify.
This chapter can help you with several uses of prepositions, which func-
tion in combination with other words in ways that are often idiomatic—that
is, peculiar to the language. The meaning of an IDIOM differs from the literal
meaning of each individual word. For example, the word break usually refers
to shattering, but the sentence Yao-Ming broke into a smile means that a
smile appeared on Yao-Ming’s face. Knowing which preposition to use in a
specific context takes much experience in reading, listening to, and speaking
the language. A dictionary such as the Longman Dictionary of Contempo-
rary English or the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary can be especial-
ly helpful when you need to find the correct preposition to use in cases not
covered by this chapter.